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Record number of US businesses giving employees time off to vote: report

A record number of U.S. companies are providing their employees with paid time off to vote in next month's midterm elections, Bloomberg reported Monday.

Forty-four percent of firms are planning to carve out time for their workers to get to the ballot box on Nov. 6, up from 37 percent in 2016, according to information compiled by the Society for Human Resource Management.

Bloomberg cited restaurant chain CAVA as a company that will provide its staff with two hours of paid leave so they can vote at the beginning or end of their shift.

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More than 400 companies have signed on to efforts with get-out-the-vote organizations like ElectionDay.org and Time to Vote, which provide voter registration tools.

The policies could affect millions of workers who otherwise might not be able to take time off to vote, Bloomberg reported.

Companies like Lyft and Uber have announced they will offer free and discounted rides to polling places on Election Day. Uber will launch an in-app feature that informs users where their designated polling station is located.

Significant turnout is expected during next month's elections, when Republicans are seeking to stave off a Democratic effort to retake control of the House and Senate. Democrats need to pick up 23 seats in the House to secure a majority, and must gain two seats in the Senate for a majority there.